Pin grid array
Encyclopedia
Integrated circuit packaging
Integrated circuit packaging is the final stage of semiconductor device fabrication per se, followed by IC testing.Packaging in ceramic or plastic prevents physical damage and corrosion and supports the electrical contacts required to assemble the integrated circuit into a system.In the integrated...
. In a PGA, the package is square or roughly square, and the pins are arranged in a regular array on the underside of the package. The pins are commonly spaced 2.54 mm (0.1") apart, and may or may not cover the entire underside of the package.
PGAs are often mounted on printed circuit board
Printed circuit board
A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. It is also referred to as printed wiring board or etched wiring...
s using the through hole
Through-hole technology
Through-hole technology, also spelled "thru-hole", refers to the mounting scheme used for electronic components that involves the use of leads on the components that are inserted into holes drilled in printed circuit boards and soldered to pads on the opposite side either by manual assembly by...
method or inserted into a socket
CPU socket
A CPU socket or CPU slot is a mechanical component that provides mechanical and electrical connections between a microprocessor and a printed circuit board . This allows the CPU to be replaced without soldering....
. PGAs allow for more pins per integrated circuit than older packages such as dual in-line package
Dual in-line package
In microelectronics, a dual in-line package is an electronic device package with a rectangular housing and two parallel rows of electrical connecting pins. The package may be through-hole mounted to a printed circuit board or inserted in a socket.A DIP is usually referred to as a DIPn, where n is...
(DIP).
PGA variants
- PPGA: Plastic pin grid array - used by Intel for late model Mendocino core CeleronCeleronCeleron is a brand name given by Intel Corp. to a number of different x86 computer microprocessor models targeted at budget personal computers....
processors based on Socket 370Socket 370Socket 370 is a common format of CPU socket first used by Intel for Pentium III and Celeron processors to replace the older Slot 1 CPU interface on personal computers. The "370" refers to the number of pin holes in the socket for CPU pins...
. Some pre-Socket 8 processors also used a similar form factor, although they were not officially referred to as PPGA. - FCPGAFlip-chip pin grid arrayFlip-chip pin grid array is a form of pin grid array integrated circuit packaging in which the die faces downwards on the top of the substrate with the back of the die exposed...
: flip-chip pin grid array - introduced by Intel with the Coppermine core Pentium IIIPentium IIIThe Pentium III brand refers to Intel's 32-bit x86 desktop and mobile microprocessors based on the sixth-generation P6 microarchitecture introduced on February 26, 1999. The brand's initial processors were very similar to the earlier Pentium II-branded microprocessors...
and CeleronCeleronCeleron is a brand name given by Intel Corp. to a number of different x86 computer microprocessor models targeted at budget personal computers....
processors based on Socket 370Socket 370Socket 370 is a common format of CPU socket first used by Intel for Pentium III and Celeron processors to replace the older Slot 1 CPU interface on personal computers. The "370" refers to the number of pin holes in the socket for CPU pins...
, later used for Socket 478Socket 478Socket 478 is a 478-contact CPU socket used for Intel's Pentium 4 and Celeron series CPUs.Socket 478 was launched with the Northwood core to compete with AMD's 462-pin Socket A and their Athlon XP processors. Socket 478 was intended to be the replacement for Socket 423, a Willamette-based...
-based Pentium 4Pentium 4Pentium 4 was a line of single-core desktop and laptop central processing units , introduced by Intel on November 20, 2000 and shipped through August 8, 2008. They had a 7th-generation x86 microarchitecture, called NetBurst, which was the company's first all-new design since the introduction of the...
and Celeron processors, and still used today for mobile Intel processors. - SPGAStaggered Pin Grid ArrayA staggered pin grid array or SPGA is a style of arranging pins on an integrated circuit package. It consists of two square arrays of pins, offset in both directions by half the minimum distance between pins in one of the arrays. Put differently: within a square boundary the pins form a diagonal...
: Staggered pin grid array - used by processors based on Socket 5Socket 5Socket 5 was created for the second generation of Intel P5 Pentium processors operating at speeds from 75 to 120 MHz as well as certain Pentium OverDrive and Pentium MMX processors with core voltage 3.3 V. Consisting of 320 pins, this was the first socket to use a staggered pin grid array, or...
and Socket 7Socket 7Socket 7 is a physical and electrical specification for an x86-style CPU socket on a personal computer motherboard. The socket supersedes the earlier Socket 5, and accepts P5 Pentium microprocessors manufactured by Intel, as well as compatibles made by Cyrix/IBM, AMD, IDT and others.Socket 7 was...
. Socket 8Socket 8The Socket 8 CPU socket was used exclusively with the Intel Pentium Pro and Pentium II Overdrive computer processors. Intel discontinued Socket 8 in favor of Slot 1 with the introduction of the Pentium II.-Technical specifications:...
used a partial SPGA layout on half the processor. - CPGA: Ceramic pin grid array - used by AMD for Athlon and Duron processors based on Socket ASocket ASocket A is the CPU socket used for AMD processors ranging from the Athlon Thunderbird to the Athlon XP/MP 3200+, and AMD budget processors including the Duron and Sempron. Socket A also supports AMD Geode NX embedded processors...
, as well as some AMD processors based on Socket AM2Socket AM2The Socket AM2, renamed from Socket M2 , is a CPU socket designed by AMD for desktop processors, including the performance, mainstream and value segments...
and Socket AM2+Socket AM2+Socket AM2+ is a CPU socket, which is the immediate successor to Socket AM2 that is used by several AMD processors such as Athlon 64 X2. Socket AM2+ is a mid-migration from Socket AM2 to Socket AM3 and both AM2+ and AM2 socket CPUs and motherboards have the potential to operate together...
. While similar form factors have been used by other manufacturers, they are not officially referred to as CPGA. - OPGA: Organic pin grid array - originally introduced for the AMD Athlon XP processors based on Socket ASocket ASocket A is the CPU socket used for AMD processors ranging from the Athlon Thunderbird to the Athlon XP/MP 3200+, and AMD budget processors including the Duron and Sempron. Socket A also supports AMD Geode NX embedded processors...
, also used for AMD processors using Socket 754Socket 754Socket 754 is a CPU socket originally developed by AMD to succeed its Athlon XP platform . Socket 754 was the first socket developed by AMD to support their new consumer version of the 64 bit microprocessor family known as AMD64.-Technical specifications:Socket 754 was the original socket for...
, Socket 939Socket 939Socket 939 is a CPU socket released by AMD in June 2004 to supersede the previous Socket 754 for Athlon 64 processors. Socket 939 was succeeded by Socket AM2 in May 2006. It is the second socket designed for AMD's AMD64 range of processors.-Availability:...
, Socket 940Socket 940Socket 940 is a 940-pin socket for 64-bit AMD server processors. This socket is entirely square in shape and pins are arranged in a grid with the exception of four key pins used to align the processor and the corners...
, Socket AM2Socket AM2The Socket AM2, renamed from Socket M2 , is a CPU socket designed by AMD for desktop processors, including the performance, mainstream and value segments...
, and Socket AM2+Socket AM2+Socket AM2+ is a CPU socket, which is the immediate successor to Socket AM2 that is used by several AMD processors such as Athlon 64 X2. Socket AM2+ is a mid-migration from Socket AM2 to Socket AM3 and both AM2+ and AM2 socket CPUs and motherboards have the potential to operate together...
.
See also
- Dual in-line packageDual in-line packageIn microelectronics, a dual in-line package is an electronic device package with a rectangular housing and two parallel rows of electrical connecting pins. The package may be through-hole mounted to a printed circuit board or inserted in a socket.A DIP is usually referred to as a DIPn, where n is...
(DIP) - Single in-line packageSingle in-line packageA single in-line package is an electronic device package which has one row of connecting pins. It is not as popular as the dual in-line package which contain two rows of pins, but has been used for packaging RAM chips and multiple resistors with a common pin. SIPs group RAM chips together on a...
(SIP) - Zig-zag in-line packageZig-zag in-line packageThe zig-zag in-line package or ZIP was a short-lived packaging technology for integrated circuits, particularly dynamic RAM chips. It was intended as a replacement for dual in-line packaging . A ZIP is an integrated circuit encapsulated in a slab of plastic, measuring about 3 mm x 30 mm...
(ZIP) - Ball grid arrayBall grid arrayA ball grid array is a type of surface-mount packaging used for integrated circuits.- Description :The BGA is descended from the pin grid array , which is a package with one face covered with pins in a grid pattern. These pins conduct electrical signals from the integrated circuit to the printed...
(BGA) - Land grid arrayLand grid arrayThe land grid array is a type of surface-mount packaging for integrated circuits that is notable for having the pins on the socket rather than the integrated circuit...
(LGA) - Centered square numberCentered square numberIn elementary number theory, a centered square number is a centered figurate number that gives the number of dots in a square with a dot in the center and all other dots surrounding the center dot in successive square layers. That is, each centered square number equals the number of dots within a...
- Chip carrierChip carrierA chip carrier, also known as a chip container or chip package, is a container for a transistor or an integrated circuit. The carrier usually provides metal leads, or "pins", which are sturdy enough to electrically and mechanically connect the fragile chip to a circuit board. This connection may be...
Chip packaging and package types list